Obituary for Michael Zanolli
Suddenly and unexpectedly on Tuesday, October 4. Michael Zanolli, age 60, was a Managing Director at Natixis CIB Americas, heading their restructuring and workout teams. Mike was a leader in the commercial real estate finance industry for almost 30 years. Most recently, he led the successful foreclosure efforts related to 20 Times Square on behalf of an international group of banks headed by Natixis.
Mike was born in Pittsburgh, PA but grew up in McLean, VA and Piedmont, CA where he attended Piedmont High School and was Captain of the football team.
He was graduated from Princeton University in 1984 from the School of Architecture. He continued to play football while at Princeton and formed life-long bonds with his teammates, as well as with the members of his eating club, Tiger Inn. He was particularly proud of being one of the few athletes to complete the highly rigorous Princeton Architecture program while managing an equally demanding collegiate football practice and game schedule.
Mike earned a Master’s in Architecture from Columbia University and maintained his licenses to practice in New York and Pennsylvania throughout his life. He initially practiced at Koenen Associates in NYC for several years before joining UDA Architects in Pittsburgh, PA where he worked on numerous urban planning projects for the Cities of Norfolk and Youngstown, the Crawford Square housing development in Pittsburgh, the Disney planned town of Celebration in Florida, and the Student Center for Carnegie Mellon University among others.
Mike’s experience as an architect and urban planner sparked an interest in real estate finance, specifically in large, complex commercial real estate transactions and ventures. He earned his MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in 1996 and began his finance career at PNC Bank in their then-newly formed Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities department. As Managing Director at PNC Real Estate, he worked at BlackRock on Anthracite Capital acquisitions, CMBS, B notes, Mezz notes and was part of the IPO team.
He returned to New York City in 2002 to be the Head of CMBS trading and the subordinated debt portfolio for Commerzbank. He later joined Sandelman Partners to manage their real estate investment portfolio including structured finance and the strategic management of CMBS and CRB CDOs. He subsequently joined Alvarez and Marsal as Managing Director for North American Credit Restructuring before becoming Head of Asset Management at Cantor Fitzgerald.
Mike joined Natixis in 2015 as Managing Director and Head of Real Estate Finance Advisory before becoming the Managing Director of Direction Restructuring et Affaires Speciales, overseeing troubled debt restructuring and workout for the Americas.
In addition to his career, Mike relished his role as a volunteer Pop Warner youth football coach for many years and served terms on the Boards of Directors for Chatham Village Homes, the National Kidney Foundation and Pennsylvania Ballet (now Philadelphia Ballet). He loved working and building with his hands and was an avid weekend renovator of the 1892 shingle-style house he shared with his wife and his two Springer Spaniels in the Shadyside area of Pittsburgh.
Mike’s lifelong passion for New York, for architecture, for building, for real estate finance, and for Princeton was only eclipsed by his love for his friends and his family, particularly his two children, Corinne and Evan. They were everything to him, and he was so proud to be their father every day of his life.
Mike was predeceased by his late father, Stelvio William Zanolli; his late brother, William Zanolli and his late mother and father in-law, Corinne and James Patton.
He is survived by his wife, Alice Ann Patton; his daughter Corinne Ruth Patton Zanolli of New York City; his son Evan James Patton Zanolli, currently a cadet at the US Air Force Academy; his mother Lenora Paler Zanolli of Florida; his sisters Jane Lowell of Maine, Anna Zanolli of Oregon and Mary Natkin (David) of Virginia; sister-in law Phyllis Zanolli of Pittsburgh, and brothers-in law William Patton (Deborah) of Tennessee and John Patton (Denise) of Illinois. His surviving extended family includes three aunts on his mother’s side, one uncle on his father’s side, 21 cousins, nine nieces and nephews and twelve great nieces and nephews (with two more expected shortly).
Funeral services and a reception will be held on Thursday, October 20 at 2 pm at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. Burial will be private in Pittsburgh, PA.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to:
Princeton Football
Stanford Field Hockey
The US Air Force Academy Judo club team.
Please be sure to note “Michael Zanolli” on the donation so that we may acknowledge your gift.
Mike was born in Pittsburgh, PA but grew up in McLean, VA and Piedmont, CA where he attended Piedmont High School and was Captain of the football team.
He was graduated from Princeton University in 1984 from the School of Architecture. He continued to play football while at Princeton and formed life-long bonds with his teammates, as well as with the members of his eating club, Tiger Inn. He was particularly proud of being one of the few athletes to complete the highly rigorous Princeton Architecture program while managing an equally demanding collegiate football practice and game schedule.
Mike earned a Master’s in Architecture from Columbia University and maintained his licenses to practice in New York and Pennsylvania throughout his life. He initially practiced at Koenen Associates in NYC for several years before joining UDA Architects in Pittsburgh, PA where he worked on numerous urban planning projects for the Cities of Norfolk and Youngstown, the Crawford Square housing development in Pittsburgh, the Disney planned town of Celebration in Florida, and the Student Center for Carnegie Mellon University among others.
Mike’s experience as an architect and urban planner sparked an interest in real estate finance, specifically in large, complex commercial real estate transactions and ventures. He earned his MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in 1996 and began his finance career at PNC Bank in their then-newly formed Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities department. As Managing Director at PNC Real Estate, he worked at BlackRock on Anthracite Capital acquisitions, CMBS, B notes, Mezz notes and was part of the IPO team.
He returned to New York City in 2002 to be the Head of CMBS trading and the subordinated debt portfolio for Commerzbank. He later joined Sandelman Partners to manage their real estate investment portfolio including structured finance and the strategic management of CMBS and CRB CDOs. He subsequently joined Alvarez and Marsal as Managing Director for North American Credit Restructuring before becoming Head of Asset Management at Cantor Fitzgerald.
Mike joined Natixis in 2015 as Managing Director and Head of Real Estate Finance Advisory before becoming the Managing Director of Direction Restructuring et Affaires Speciales, overseeing troubled debt restructuring and workout for the Americas.
In addition to his career, Mike relished his role as a volunteer Pop Warner youth football coach for many years and served terms on the Boards of Directors for Chatham Village Homes, the National Kidney Foundation and Pennsylvania Ballet (now Philadelphia Ballet). He loved working and building with his hands and was an avid weekend renovator of the 1892 shingle-style house he shared with his wife and his two Springer Spaniels in the Shadyside area of Pittsburgh.
Mike’s lifelong passion for New York, for architecture, for building, for real estate finance, and for Princeton was only eclipsed by his love for his friends and his family, particularly his two children, Corinne and Evan. They were everything to him, and he was so proud to be their father every day of his life.
Mike was predeceased by his late father, Stelvio William Zanolli; his late brother, William Zanolli and his late mother and father in-law, Corinne and James Patton.
He is survived by his wife, Alice Ann Patton; his daughter Corinne Ruth Patton Zanolli of New York City; his son Evan James Patton Zanolli, currently a cadet at the US Air Force Academy; his mother Lenora Paler Zanolli of Florida; his sisters Jane Lowell of Maine, Anna Zanolli of Oregon and Mary Natkin (David) of Virginia; sister-in law Phyllis Zanolli of Pittsburgh, and brothers-in law William Patton (Deborah) of Tennessee and John Patton (Denise) of Illinois. His surviving extended family includes three aunts on his mother’s side, one uncle on his father’s side, 21 cousins, nine nieces and nephews and twelve great nieces and nephews (with two more expected shortly).
Funeral services and a reception will be held on Thursday, October 20 at 2 pm at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. Burial will be private in Pittsburgh, PA.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to:
Princeton Football
Stanford Field Hockey
The US Air Force Academy Judo club team.
Please be sure to note “Michael Zanolli” on the donation so that we may acknowledge your gift.